Editing Surfacing
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
| − | + | Monday, 06 Jan 2521 <br> | |
| − | + | Below the surface of Rubicon <br> | |
| − | + | White Sun (Bai Hu) system <br> | |
| − | + | 0130hrs, local time<br> | |
It took two days of hard work but we got that shuttle gutted. We had some tools at our disposal, all cadged from the mining rig: torch, arc welder, hover pallet, block and tackle. The first cut away pieces of the shuttle, the last lifted them onto the pallet, at times holding them upright as I cut them free. And now lifting them off the pallet to the cut pile. I hand-over-handed the chain, swung the first hunk of scrap free, and lowered it to the top of the pile. The cavern had no shortage of loose rocks to shim the metal level, and rather like my father stacking wood to dry, I made certain the pile was stable and in no danger of sliding onto passersby. A useless nicety, I had to admit, since we weren’t likely to come back for the scrap and anyone arriving after us wouldn’t give a good Goddamn, but still. I got the last piece off-loaded and stowed the tools, job finally done. | It took two days of hard work but we got that shuttle gutted. We had some tools at our disposal, all cadged from the mining rig: torch, arc welder, hover pallet, block and tackle. The first cut away pieces of the shuttle, the last lifted them onto the pallet, at times holding them upright as I cut them free. And now lifting them off the pallet to the cut pile. I hand-over-handed the chain, swung the first hunk of scrap free, and lowered it to the top of the pile. The cavern had no shortage of loose rocks to shim the metal level, and rather like my father stacking wood to dry, I made certain the pile was stable and in no danger of sliding onto passersby. A useless nicety, I had to admit, since we weren’t likely to come back for the scrap and anyone arriving after us wouldn’t give a good Goddamn, but still. I got the last piece off-loaded and stowed the tools, job finally done. | ||
| − | The menfolk had turned in hours ago and out of habit and concern I sought out Joshua before grabbing some shut-eye. He’d taken to sleeping in the cavern instead of retiring on the rig or in the unaltered shuttle, keeping himself from the others. Counting the days since we’d left the | + | The menfolk had turned in hours ago and out of habit and concern I sought out Joshua before grabbing some shut-eye. He’d taken to sleeping in the cavern instead of retiring on the rig or in the unaltered shuttle, keeping himself from the others. Counting the days since we’d left the Gift, I knew he had to be feeling the lack of his meds. Not entirely sure what I could do without a dose in my pocket, I thought bitterly of the extra I’d stashed in my quarters. The Gift was impounded four worlds away on Londinium and my stash was as good as in the sun for all I could get my hands on it. Such were my thoughts as I searched out Joshua. If he stayed true to form, he’d be in the section of cavern where there was a sand deposit. It wasn’t much to look at but it was softer to sleep on than the hard rock of the floor and as I rounded a group of stalagmites, I shone my torch in a sweeping arc looking for his blankets. |
“Joshua?” I called, keeping my voice low. Sound carried here, and I was grateful for the acoustic cover of the stalagmites. “You awake?” | “Joshua?” I called, keeping my voice low. Sound carried here, and I was grateful for the acoustic cover of the stalagmites. “You awake?” | ||
| Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
'''***''' | '''***''' | ||
| − | He turned his head to look over at her. 2 days in the black dust and stale air of Rubicon, and she still looked good to him. | + | He turned his head to look over at her. 2 days in the black dust and stale air of Rubicon, and she still looked good to him. I'm totally lost to her - Carter's a lucky bastard. |
| − | "The creature comforts are a little short, tis true. I guess we can mark that in the 'Con' column when evaluating being on the run from the law." He put his hands down flat and | + | "The creature comforts are a little short, tis true. I guess we can mark that in the 'Con' column when evaluating being on the run from the law." He put his hands down flat and piushed himself upright. "We are running from the law, right? I'm remembering that correctly, right?” |
'''***''' | '''***''' | ||
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
“You got that right,” I snorted softly. “At this point, Joshua, I think it’s safe to say we’re running from practically everybody. If the Feds don’t want us, Blue Sun does. If Blue Sun doesn’t want us, Potemkin does. If Potemkin doesn’t want us, you can color us dead and roasting in hell, because it’s the only outcome a Russian will accept for his enemies.” | “You got that right,” I snorted softly. “At this point, Joshua, I think it’s safe to say we’re running from practically everybody. If the Feds don’t want us, Blue Sun does. If Blue Sun doesn’t want us, Potemkin does. If Potemkin doesn’t want us, you can color us dead and roasting in hell, because it’s the only outcome a Russian will accept for his enemies.” | ||
| − | I switched off the torch and slipped it carefully in my pocket. I didn’t want to lay it on the ground and get it clogged with sand or leave it behind. | + | I switched off the torch and slipped it carefully in my pocket. I didn’t want to lay it on the ground and get it clogged with sand or leave it behind. Take good care of your tools, Rinusha, Father’s voice whispered to me from my memories. Treat them well and they will return the favor. For a moment I wondered what he and my mother were doing three worlds away on Sihnon, if they and my brothers were safe. When the Cortex was still up and running, I could check my mother’s concert appearances, track my father’s instrument sales, follow my brothers’ careers. It had been four months since I was last able to check for news of them and being in the Core made me anxious to stay below the Feds’ radar, to avoid visiting trouble on their heads. |
| − | + | Not that I managed to do that, no. First, being implicated in an assassination attempt on the Prime Minister and second, successfully escaping custody so I could, third, make illegal landfall on a blackrock and hide out in a secret underground base. Yeah. Great job there of not attracting the Feds’ attention. I was tired and sore and thanks to our jailbreak, back in the ranks of the walking wounded. I drew my knees up and propping my elbows on them, rubbed my neck. | |
“As far as the comforts go,” I said aloud, careful to keep my voice low. “How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?” There wasn’t much I could get him, aside from the water and the self-heats Blondie had stocked for her stay here. Still, love and friendship demanded I ask. | “As far as the comforts go,” I said aloud, careful to keep my voice low. “How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?” There wasn’t much I could get him, aside from the water and the self-heats Blondie had stocked for her stay here. Still, love and friendship demanded I ask. | ||
| Line 60: | Line 60: | ||
"I...," I began and then my head caught up with the rest of me. "...do. I never looked at it that way, but you're right. I do." I stopped rubbing my neck and looked at him. How much farther did I dare go in my admission? I instinctively knew that if I went much farther, I would give in and lay right down with him and let nature take us as far as we could go. Did I want that? A large part of me did. A smaller part did not, distrustful of the eventual outcome. Was I losing my edge? Getting blunted to uselessness by giving in? | "I...," I began and then my head caught up with the rest of me. "...do. I never looked at it that way, but you're right. I do." I stopped rubbing my neck and looked at him. How much farther did I dare go in my admission? I instinctively knew that if I went much farther, I would give in and lay right down with him and let nature take us as far as we could go. Did I want that? A large part of me did. A smaller part did not, distrustful of the eventual outcome. Was I losing my edge? Getting blunted to uselessness by giving in? | ||
| − | What good was an edge if it was ground on isolation, sharpened by loneliness, turned on others to keep them at bay? What was the point of the exercise? I felt the years thus spent as a stone around my leg, pulling me beneath the surface of the oily lake we sat beside and I suddenly resented it. | + | What good was an edge if it was ground on isolation, sharpened by loneliness, turned on others to keep them at bay? What was the point of the exercise? I felt the years thus spent as a stone around my leg, pulling me beneath the surface of the oily lake we sat beside and I suddenly resented it. Time to surface. |
"I don't know, Joshua. Put that way, it seems pretty stupid." | "I don't know, Joshua. Put that way, it seems pretty stupid." | ||
| Line 74: | Line 74: | ||
'''***''' | '''***''' | ||
| − | I'd seen him go without his meds before, once for as long as ten days. Currently at day five, I knew it would go rapidly downhill from here. There was no point in mentioning it. He knew better than I what we could expect and I wondered how he could face it so calmly. | + | I'd seen him go without his meds before, once for as long as ten days. Currently at day five, I knew it would go rapidly downhill from here. There was no point in mentioning it. He knew better than I what we could expect and I wondered how he could face it so calmly. Think of something else. You could both use the distraction. Latching on to his mention of bolt fastening, I quirked a grin at him. |
"You saying I've got some loose bolts that need tightening?" | "You saying I've got some loose bolts that need tightening?" | ||
| Line 86: | Line 86: | ||
'''***''' | '''***''' | ||
| − | "So getting the oil checked is right out, huh?" The damned imp of the perverse had my tongue again. "Not that you couldn't use a transmission flush yourself." I could milk the maintenance analogy all night but after the first three or four, puns had the tendency to grate, so I dropped it. | + | "So getting the oil checked is right out, huh?" The damned imp of the perverse had my tongue again. "Not that you couldn't use a transmission flush yourself." |
| + | |||
| + | I could milk the maintenance analogy all night but after the first three or four, puns had the tendency to grate, so I dropped it. | ||
| + | |||
| + | "As much as that sounds like a lot of fun and I wouldn't say 'no' if you offered, those sorts of bolts weren't what I'd meant." | ||
'''***''' | '''***''' | ||
| Line 150: | Line 154: | ||
'''***''' | '''***''' | ||
| − | I listened as his breathing deepened, felt him go limp and heavy as sleep claimed him. I kept up a steady rhythm stroking his head and shoulders, finding comfort in it. | + | I listened as his breathing deepened, felt him go limp and heavy as sleep claimed him. I kept up a steady rhythm stroking his head and shoulders, finding comfort in it. You could have had this a long time ago. Too stubborn to let it happen. Idiot, my internal nag informed me. Better late than never, I said back. Now shut up. Tryin’ to sleep. |
With the sound of Joshua’s breath and the beat of his heart to lull me, I dropped off soon after. Joshua didn’t wake when my arm screamed pins and needles and woke me so I could reclaim it, but murmured drowsily and pulled me closer. I managed to find a position that wouldn’t end up leaving parts of me on the blankets when I rose and drifted off again. When the racket of the others getting up woke us, I saw by my watch we’d managed to get those eight hours in and while I was stiff from sleeping on the ground, I didn’t hurt as much as I’d expected. If I’d dreamt at all, I couldn’t remember and I knew better than to ask Joshua if he remembered anything from his. I just kissed him on rising and helped him shake out the blankets and went to join the others to start our day. | With the sound of Joshua’s breath and the beat of his heart to lull me, I dropped off soon after. Joshua didn’t wake when my arm screamed pins and needles and woke me so I could reclaim it, but murmured drowsily and pulled me closer. I managed to find a position that wouldn’t end up leaving parts of me on the blankets when I rose and drifted off again. When the racket of the others getting up woke us, I saw by my watch we’d managed to get those eight hours in and while I was stiff from sleeping on the ground, I didn’t hurt as much as I’d expected. If I’d dreamt at all, I couldn’t remember and I knew better than to ask Joshua if he remembered anything from his. I just kissed him on rising and helped him shake out the blankets and went to join the others to start our day. | ||
| Line 156: | Line 160: | ||
| − | + | Go back to '''''[[A Midnight Clear]]''''' | Skip to '''''The Next Entry'''''.<br> | |
| − | + | '''Go to ''[[Peripatetica - Season One]]'''''<br> | |
| − | '''Go | + | '''Go to ''[[Peripatetica - Season Two]]'''''<br> |
| − | '''Go to ''[[Peripatetica - | + | '''Go to ''[[Peripatetica - Season Three]]'''''<br> |
| − | '''Go to ''[[Rina's | + | '''Go to ''[[Miscellanea - Rina's RP entries]]'''''<br> |
'''Go to''' [[Marina Kseniya Sebastien | '''Rina's Crew Page''']] <br> | '''Go to''' [[Marina Kseniya Sebastien | '''Rina's Crew Page''']] <br> | ||
'''Go to [[EPISODES]]''' or '''[[MTimeline#2511-2518|TIMELINE]]''' | '''Go to [[EPISODES]]''' or '''[[MTimeline#2511-2518|TIMELINE]]''' | ||
